Landywood Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Landywood Primary School Holly Lane, Landywood, Great Wyrley, Walsall, West Midlands WS6 6AQ

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Outcome

Landywood Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to be part of Landywood Primary School. They talk enthusiastically about school, telling the inspector that their school is ‘literally the best’. Leaders put pupils at the heart of all they do. The Landywood ‘rainbow respect values’, which include resilience, empathy and self-awareness, are known and understood by pupils of all ages. These run through every aspect of school life.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn from visiting members of the local community by listening to them talk about their experiences. Recently, visitors from the Armed Forces spoke about the meaning behind the wearing of a poppy. Pupils are enthusiastic about the extra activities and experiences that go on outside the classroom. Staff constantly look for ways to nurture, develop and celebrate pupils’ talents. School displays are testament to this culture.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are unfailingly welcoming and polite. They behave very well both in lessons and during lunch and playtimes. Pupils have a clear understanding of what bullying is. They told the inspector that it is seldom an issue and if it does occur staff members deal with it quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are very ambitious for pupils. They make sure all pupils are armed with the skills they need to succeed in life. Most parents share this view, with one stating, ‘They really couldn’t do any more.’

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders, staff and governors are united in their ambition to provide the best possible education for all pupils. The design of the curriculum reflects this ambition and considers the needs of all pupils. Leaders possess a wealth of subject expertise. They have used this expertise to construct a well-planned and coherent curriculum in all subjects. Leaders have thought carefully about the knowledge pupils need to know and understand. They have outlined the order in which pupils will learn this knowledge from the early years to Year 6. This helps leaders and teachers to plan learning that builds on what pupils already 9 and 10 March 2022

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know. For example, in music, pupils learn to read musical notation with confidence and play a wide range of instruments with increasing accuracy. Pupils also participate in concerts that showcase the learning from their music lessons.

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Leaders have ensured that the mathematics curriculum is mapped out carefully. This means that teachers know what pupils need to learn and in what order. Additional adults provide excellent support during lessons. They quickly identify pupils who need to catch up, and provide them with effective support. Pupils have a firm grasp of mathematical knowledge and make use of their learning to solve more complicated problems. This helps pupils to deepen their understanding over time.

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Leaders have done much to promote a love of reading. Pupils talk enthusiastically about books they have enjoyed. Leaders have implemented a reward system to encourage pupils to read more widely at home. Children start to learn phonics in Nursery. Adults help children to develop their language and communication skills from their very first days at school. Pupils are articulate and use complicated language. More recently, leaders have introduced a new curriculum for early reading. They are still refining their approach so that staff consistently implement it well.

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Teachers check pupils’ phonics knowledge regularly. By the end of Year 2, most pupils can read fluently and with understanding. However, a small number of pupils are given books that are too difficult or that do not match their phonics knowledge. This gets in the way of them becoming confident and fluent readers.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported. Leaders work with teachers, parents and external agencies to make sure pupils get the support they need. Staff make appropriate adjustments so that pupils with SEND can access the same curriculum as their peers. Efficient systems and effective support mean that pupils with SEND achieve well.

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The headteacher, along with his senior team and governing body, are determined that all pupils will succeed. School staff embrace this vision. They value and appreciate the guidance and support leaders provide. All staff say they have received excellent training that has helped them to reflect on how pupils learn best.

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Leaders and governors prioritise personal development. They plan a range of experiences across the curriculum to ensure pupils make a positive contribution to their school and local community. Pupils are well prepared for their next steps in education. They talk enthusiastically about the wide range of ambassadorial roles that are available and the additional activities they enjoy.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and governors have created a strong safeguarding culture across the school. Staff work well with external agencies. They have a secure knowledge of the pupils in their care. Staff are well trained to identify pupils who may be at risk of harm and pass on 9 and 10 March 2022

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concerns in a timely manner. The school’s personal, social, health and economic education curriculum is uniquely designed to shape pupils into responsible and empathic citizens.

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Leaders ensure that pupils learn to keep themselves safe. Personal safety, including how to keep safe online and road safety, is included within the wider curriculum. Children also take responsibility for elements of their own safeguarding and undertake roles such as digital leaders.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have recently made significant changes to the way the early reading curriculum is taught. However, teachers are not yet consistently implementing this scheme as it is intended. Leaders should continue to develop the early reading curriculum, building on the improvements they have already made.  On occasions, books for weaker readers are not well matched to their phonics knowledge. This means that pupils who are at the early stages of learning to read find these books difficult. Teachers should ensure that books are better matched to pupils’ phonics knowledge so that they can develop their reading skills and fluency.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in March 2017.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you are the school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted . 9 and 10 March 2022

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 9 and 10 March 2022

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 1 and 2 March 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, the assistant headteacher in charge of SEND has left the school. The new assistant headteacher in charge of SEND currently works at the school for two days a week. She will work full time from the summer term.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The lead inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The lead inspector held discussions with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, other senior leaders, subject leaders and members of staff. She met with four members of the governing body.  The lead inspector spoke to pupils about their experiences of school and their views on behaviour and bullying. Pupil behaviour during lessons and breaktimes was also observed. 9 and 10 March 2022

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 The lead inspector reviewed a wide range of evidence, including the school’s self- evaluation and improvement plans. She also looked at documentation from the governing body meetings.  The lead inspector considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, and the free-text responses. She considered the responses to the pupil and staff surveys. The lead inspector spoke with parents at the start of the school day to gather their views.  The lead inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and music. She visited a sample of lessons in these subjects, met with subject leaders, reviewed pupils’ work and had discussions with teachers and a small group of pupils. The lead inspector heard pupils read. In addition, she reviewed the curriculum planning for history and geography.

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Inspection team

Josie Leese, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 9 and 10 March 2022

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regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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